Broadside entitled 'Life and Death of the Old Woman of Radcliffe Highway'

Commentary

This accident report begins: 'This is to let you understand that an old woman of Radcliffe Highway, was drowned in a heavy shower of feathers last night, 6 weeks ago.' There are no publication details attached to this sheet.

There are many sheets written in the same style held in the National Library of Scotland's collection, which would suggest that this style of surreal writing may have been popular with its contemporary audiences. Today this style has been taken further through the medium of television and film in the genre of slap-stick comedy.

Broadsides are single sheets of paper, printed on one side, to be read unfolded. They carried public information such as proclamations as well as ballads and news of the day. Cheaply available, they were sold on the streets by pedlars and chapmen. Broadsides offer a valuable insight into many aspects of the society they were published in, and the National Library of Scotland holds over 250,000 of them.